It got so bad, eating most of our playing time, that I started to make ellipses between 'mission briefing' and being there. while assuming PC's equipped themselves reasonably (no missing rope incident).

The orcs are a growing menace in the east but, hey, I think I can bargain the local lord down another % point on my coal mine taxes if I do a deal using hirelings as highway patrol for him. Only, we need to change over the elevator mechanism to get more kilos of coal per lift.

nothing derails my pathfinder group than the visual aids our GM lovingly prepares. We seem to have developed the habit of picking apart everything he shows us. Some of the highlights that come to mind.The halfling that is just a living bust statuethe boat captain that has hooves and looks like captain birdseye the elf who cannot move his arms above the elbowThe town we visited with a settlements across the river called "sample house" and "scale 1 square = 10 meters"

It never fails. I make them check to see if they detect something. Maybe a trap. Maybe a clue. Maybe an enemy lying in wait. Or maybe nothing at all, just to keep them on their toes.

If they fail the check, they are paralyzed. They inexplicably transform into a bunch of Monty Python style philosophers and stand around theorizing what it is they do not know. I impress upon them the thought that their characters have no idea they do not know anything. They respond that the players need time to assess the meaning of the failed perception roll...possibly for hours.

Pete (sometimes just tells them what they did not find, thus validating this absurd behavior)

Regarding doors, my group has never seen a door they did not want to open, going through all the motions of listening, inspecting, checking, lockpicking, etc. until they eventually open it. It does not matter if it is a door to a close or a false door. They want to check it out. I devilishly use this behavior to my own nefarious means. If I want to lure them down a hallway to an awaiting trap, I just place a door at the end of the hallway. They can't resist looking in it, even if is out of their way and the obviously conclusion to the adventure is through an open archway. They even have a chant "More Door, More Door" (sounding suspiciously like "Mordor, Mordor")

Regarding phantom traps, this is more a behavior born of missing an obvious trap. Afterwards, EVERYTHING is a TRAP! The doors, the walls, the ceiling, the chest, the table, the book, the candlestick, the stray pebble in the corner of the crypt, EVERYTHING! Everything is a trap and they spend countless rolls investigating for traps. And of course, once they get tired of looking for them, they trip another trap and the cycle starts all over again. My trap designs have purpose -- they are in location where one would expect them and perform a specific function such as a warning or protection. They are not random, so knowing when to look and when not to look should not be hard. But unfortunately, this same group plays with another DM whose traps are much more random, so they will never be cured.

But unfortunately, this same group plays with another DM whose traps are much more random, so they will never be cured.

Don't give up hope on that front. I suggest a steady diet of obvious traps that are already sprung, in the obvious spots as you have been placing them already. Nothing tells the players that you are fair like a skeletal hand sticking out from under the pile of rocks that dropped out of a ceiling, with the old wooden trap door still flapping quietly in the air current. Plus, if done with a little atmosphere, it can be creepier than the unsprung version.

"To be honorable and just is our only defense against men without honor or justice." -Diogenes of Sinope

I simply walk into Mordor.

Animals. When I GM, I guess I describe animals in more detail and frequency than other GMs. This is probably because I love animals and have studied zoology, so like to describe them.

But the players in convention games who don't know me get suspicious, or at least curious, about frequent animal descriptions. I had one player spend his only Fudge point to determine if a donkey was magical or not after he had failed his Farmhand roll. (It wasn't, but it was a very good donkey!)

Random NPCs I include for flavor, which the players then decide must be important and focus on. Of course, since they're focusing on them, I make them important retroactively, so I guess they're justified. Best example was the random pickpocket orphan the group of Solar Exalted caught and decided to adopt, eventually discovering that his father was Plentimon, God of the Dice, which explains why he was lucky enough to get caught pickpocketing a group of benevolent superhumans who would go on to conquer the world.

I've been Banished to Oregon... Gaming in Corvallis, living in Alsea... Need gamers willing to try new things...

Archduke Norris Aella Aledon

StormKnight wrote:

RE: Traps

I'm really not fond of "searching for traps" in games (though a game could have solid mechanics for it, I've never seen one)

You've never seen pre-3E D&D? the rules aren't good, but are VERY solid, in that they are a reliable rule that is clearly written as a game element.10 minutes, 10x10' square of wall, 1 in 6 chance; Elves 2 in 6.Thieves: whole room or single object, 10 minutes, percentile chance by level.GM makes the rolls whether the trap is there or not.

I'm really not fond of "searching for traps" in games (though a game could have solid mechanics for it, I've never seen one)

You've never seen pre-3E D&D? the rules aren't good, but are VERY solid, in that they are a reliable rule that is clearly written as a game element.10 minutes, 10x10' square of wall, 1 in 6 chance; Elves 2 in 6.Thieves: whole room or single object, 10 minutes, percentile chance by level.GM makes the rolls whether the trap is there or not.

OK, maybe "solid" was a poor choice of words. Just thinking, like, a meaningful rule that makes for interesting/enjoyable game play.

I've been Banished to Oregon... Gaming in Corvallis, living in Alsea... Need gamers willing to try new things...

Archduke Norris Aella Aledon

StormKnight wrote:

aramis wrote:

StormKnight wrote:

RE: Traps

I'm really not fond of "searching for traps" in games (though a game could have solid mechanics for it, I've never seen one)

You've never seen pre-3E D&D? the rules aren't good, but are VERY solid, in that they are a reliable rule that is clearly written as a game element.10 minutes, 10x10' square of wall, 1 in 6 chance; Elves 2 in 6.Thieves: whole room or single object, 10 minutes, percentile chance by level.GM makes the rolls whether the trap is there or not.

OK, maybe "solid" was a poor choice of words. Just thinking, like, a meaningful rule that makes for interesting/enjoyable game play.

Many people enjoy the D&D rule as playable and amusing.... myself included. It's cheezy as hell, but it is fun. when running a dungeon as a press-your-luck delve quasi-board games...

...124 to run fleeing from the mountain. ...125 to use a rope to climb the cliff. ...126 to quickly cast "summon stairs." ...127 to dodge under the falling rocks.

Locked doors never fail to get their attention. Hints of books (even if the books are just there for flavor) will be scoured for useful spells or information. Often the characters have their own personal goals, which can easily sidetrack the main goals... though are just as important. And I go on tangents at the drop of a hat... so I am most likely to distract others!